International Christian Choral Celebration Open for Entry

Choral director, composer and Excelsia’s William Byrd Fellow and Ambassador, Antony Pitts explained the celebration is about encouraging singers “to send in the best of what they have” and to “glorify God with this beautiful music”.

“There’s something really special about being able to use our voices to sing with other people,” Antony told Hope 103.2.

The event welcomes entries from school choirs, church groups, community ensembles, universities and professional choirs, with no restriction on choir size or style. This year’s theme is “light”, with organisers especially looking for music inspired by Biblical themes or sacred texts.

“What we’re singing about is the gospel and the good news and all the marvelous works of God that are outlined in the Bible,” Antony said.

Antony described choral singing as “a bit of a taste of heaven”, with harmony creating a unique sense of connection.

“You’re so in sync with the person next to you and in the group in a way that there’s very little else like that in our day-to-day lives,” Antony said.

Last year’s celebration featured performances from five continents, and organisers are hoping to expand even further this year. Participation is entirely online, meaning choirs can submit performances from anywhere in the world.

“There’s no restriction,” Antony said.

“You can be anywhere in the world and send in your performances.”

Drawing on years of experience as a composer and conductor, Antony reflected on why the human voice connects so deeply with people.

“Before we were born in the womb, you can’t see anything, but you can hear,” Antony said.

“I think the sound of the human voice touches such a deep part of us.”

He also encouraged anyone interested in singing to consider joining a choir.

“For anyone who has the opportunity to go and find a choir and to use their voice, I really encourage that,” Antony said.

Submissions are now open, with entrants asked to submit links to two performance videos. There is no entry fee, and this year performances with instruments are also welcome.

“It’s really very simple,” Antony said.

Find out more about the International Christian Choral Celebration and its prizes via the Excelsia University College website.

This article was researched and prepared by Hope 103.2 staff writers, with assistance from AI in its presentation. Final review and fact-checking was undertaken by our Digital Team prior to publication.

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